Baseball game and apparatus



Dec. 16,v 1930. P.. T. SIMMONS 1,785,148

BASE BALL GAME AND APPARATUS 'PARKER 5mn/lame,

ggg. BY f ATTORNEY.

Dec. 16, 193Q P. T. slMMNs 1,785,148

E BASE BALL GAME AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 17, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 2 l INVENTOR: .PAR/5R @MMU/v5,

A TTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 1G, 1930 V UNITED'STATES PARKER T. SIMMONS, or EAST HAMPTON, NEwvonx BASEBALL GAME AnnAPrARATUs j Application sied August 17, 192s. Ystriai isrfaoaase.l`

The pitchingdevice, the batter .device and the catcher device referred to in this application are disclosed respectively in my applications of even date as follows: Serial No.

5300,23?, pitching devices 'for baseball game apparatus; Serial No..300,238, batting apparatus for baseball games and the like; Serial y No. 300,239, ball catching device.

The invention has for an object Vto effect an improvement in game apparatus, and particularly that kind .intended tosimulate the standard outdoor ,game of baseball in such manner that teams may participate in games with my apparatus and the team members perform therewith functions corresponding closely to those which players would perform ink the outdoor standard game.l Y

The invention also attainsan improvement in particulars lof apparatus suitable Vto the conduct of aV game in accordance with my disclosure, and it is a particular aim of the invention to effect a novel embodiment of operative means for base'irunners.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention reside in the construction,

arrangement and combination of parts involved, as will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein, Y,

3;) Figure l is a top view of a gameboard constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section;

F ig. 3 is a detail of the basesignal.

Fig. t isa fragmentary view'of'the runner operating device.`

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan of the runner operating mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section ofthe game board showing i a runner construction.

The game is characterized by the use of a board representing a playing field, and' comprising a floor 10 having a boundary board or fence 1l therearound extending above and below the floor, as shown. A base-ball diamond is represented on the floor 10 with the home plate near but spaced from the adjacent end sufliciently to accommodate a catcher device to be described.` Foul field areas l2 are indicated in respective corners of the field I5o spaced laterally a distancefrom the home .is of such size preferably as. to` enable: a vnumber of players .to be accommodated along the sides Land at each end, so thatone player oneend, while two ot-her4 .players at adja` plate, constructed so asto receive a ball plate, while right .and left outfield -areafsl are indicated at the `opposite endofthe floor; intermediate right and' leftA eld 'areaslll immediately adjacent the: diamondy and in wardlyof thebacktfeld area-13. The board may operate a batting Adevice, centrally `of cent corners may field balls entering the-foulv areas l2,V and atthe .sides separateplayers may controla pitching mechanismwand rej, spectively four runner operating devices, while at the end opposite'the home plate, or `65 at the sides,` two or more Vplayers mayf field balls entering the areas 13 and 1,4.'`

A pitching mechanism 15 is located in or adjacent the diamond onthe .medial longitudinal axis ofthe `ield represented, this de- `It vice-being adapted to throwV a small balllV across the home plate, the ball being of a suitable size and' weight'to be struck byy a batting device 17 located Vhat thei home plate, `and adaptedwhen properly operatedto strike the 7 Vb'all with sufficient force to knock it intosome portion of the `intermediate or back -lields The pitching device is controlled by a release lever A18', located `at the 'side ofthe board and laterally outward ofthe fence;l1,so that an individual member of the team supposed to be in the field may operate this device. The v battingdevicel is also controlled'by a re- Vlease'or otherv suitable appliance at `19, midway of theY endl'of thedevice,'closely adjacent 85 the home plate, as representechand this appliance l9isto be operated by 1an individual memberi'ofthe team at bat. Acatcher device l20de located closely adjacentzthehome home plate and each of the bases, being suitably curveclat these points. Runner members 2Q, 23, 24, and 25 respectively, are mounted tomove longitudinally of thisslot,.suitable operating means being provided for these runners, including individualy control or op- 100 erating members 26, 27, 28 and 29 respectively, by which the movement of respective runners is effected, these being in the form of cranks, in the present instance, which may be operated manually by persons on the team at bat. Base signals 30 are located at first, second, and third bases, adapted to sound When'struck by the ball. The catcher 20 may also be adapted to resound when struck by the ball.

In the production of this game, itis'important to have the field of ample size, bearing in mind the manner in which the game is to be played, as Will be explained. Particularly, the action of the pitching device 15 and its spacing with respect to the mounting device 17 should be such as to afford a time interval in the movement of the ball from the pitching device to the mounting device sufficient to enable a person controlling the mounting device 19 to receive the mental impression of the moving ball and to act in time in releasing or actuating the batting device to effect the striking of the ball` Also, the control appliances 18, 19, 26 to 29 inclusive, must be properly spaced to permit a separate individual to operate each Without the movements of one interfering with those of another of such players as far as reasonably practicable; and in addition to accommodate adjacent the field areas 12, 13 and 14 respective persons representing field team players.

In the playing of the game, the pitching device 13 is manually set at an initial position from which it may be released by the device 18 to perform a throwing action. After being set, the ball 16 is manually placed in the device, and the player assigned theretoinitiates the operation of the pitching device by means of the device 418. Another person at the control 19 then endeavors to actuate the batting device in time to strike the ball. In case a fair ball is struck across the field, another player at the control device 26 then begins to Voperate the crank 26 so as to move the runner 22 in the direction of first base.

The persons on the field team designated to look after the areas 14, 13 and 12 respectively Will then endeavor to return the ball (accord-- ing to the area it is in) and strike one of the base signals 30 before the runner reaches the same, striking of the device 30 and ringing of the bell there having the same significance as the return of a ball from the field to a baseman in the actual game of base ball, as is Well understood. In case the first runner 22 reaches first base safely, the pitching and batting operations described are repeated, a new player being designated at the bat control 19, the original player at tne control 26 remaining there until the runner which he is operating either makes the circuit of the bases for a run or is put out.

In case the second player at the control 19 .fails to knock a fair ball but strikes it in such manner as to cause it to enter one of the foul areas 12, if one of the field team designated to operate in these respective areas catches the ball before it strikes the fence 11, or fields the ball in some other required Way in accordance with specific rules 1which may be made, the batter may be called out in the same respect las the catcher in the standard game catches a foul ball.

The runner mechanism Vifliile I am aware `that devices have been evolved for moving runners about between bases of a baseball diamond represented upen game board, none of these prior devices are suitable for use in my invention enable the playing of the game in the manner contemplated, particularly with reference to the operation of runners individually by respective persons and responsive to the xviii of these persons individually until. the co .iplete circuit of bases has been made in accordance with the rules of standard baseball, or until a put-out has been recorded against the runner involved.

Owing to the 'formation of the slot 21 en' lessly between the eases, the iin` portion of the floor Within the dimnond completely detached from the outer part, and for tl*` reason brackets 8O ntilizedin mountin runner mechanism are also utiiized to f f a supporting connection bet-Ween the door Without the diamond and that pa hounded by the slot. One of the bri l ed adjacent each of the basi., including home plate. VEach includes a top plate of and-a bottom plate 82 in spaced rcwttio"l t.. with, ay vertical shaft Sbf', revolubly mounted in and between these two plates. The top plate is suitably extended and :iper tured'fer attachment to the nader side o'. the fioor Within the diamond at its opposite end from the shaft 83. While the l'iottom piaf e is extended at its end acljacz-nr;l the shaft $3.3 for a distance beyond the shaft. thence upwardly and provided With a plate Si in the same plane With the extension of the plate 81, so that it may be attached to the under side of the flooi` 10 outwardly of the slot 21. [i downwardly extending bearing fhznge 85 also formed on the lower plate 32, in4 which there is mounted the inner end of an operating shaft 86, the outer end of which is exlid ranged transversely of the lower plate 82 at the beginning of the extension 84, while-in those brackets adj acentthe hoine plate and second base, the flange 85 is at oneside of `the plate 82 in line with the shaft 83. At

the inner end of the shaft 86 a bevelled gear 87 is fixed thereon, meshed with a somewhat larger bevelled gear 88 carried on' the lower extremity of the shaft '83 which `projects through the plate 82 for thatpurpose.V Upon the upper part o-f theshaft 83 between the plates 81 and 82 there are engaged lfour sprockets '89, all having hub portions which serve between mutuallyadjacent sprockets to hold the sprockets in Vproperly spaced rela-v tion. At first base, the lowermost sprocket is secured to the shaft 83, while the other sprockets are loosely revoluble upon theshaft as idlers. At second base, the sprocket next to the bottom is fixed upon the shaft 83 while the lower sprocket. and twoupper ones are idle on the shaft. `At third base the sprocket next to the top is fixed to the shaft, while the remaining three are loose on the shaft, and at the home plate the topmost sprocket is fixed to the shaft, while the three therebelow are idlers. The shafts 86 from the bracln cts adjacent the home plate and adjacent the second base are both extendedV ont through the left-hand side of the bottom part of the boundary board of the device, as is the shaft 86 from the bracket adjacent the third base,

while the shaft 86 from'the bracket at first base is extended out through the right-hand side of the device, the crank 26 thereon being the only one for operating a base'runner at that side of the device. Four endless chains 90 vertically spaced are engaged around the parallel sprockets 89 alined at corresponding levels, so that each chain is engaged upon one sprocket which is fixed to a shaft 88, and

upon three idle sprockets, and consequently,

any chain can'be operated by only one par ticular crank 26, 27, 28 or 29. Upon the topmost chain at one point there is extended upwardly from one of the links closeto the inner side of the slot 21 a .resilient standard 91. From the next chain therebelow at one point, there is extended upwardly a standard 92 which at its lower end is provided with an extension laterally from the chain, so th at it is offset suiiiciently to move in a separate path from the first mentioned standard 91, permitting the two to pass in the slot 21 without interference. In the same way, a third similar standard 93 is mounted on the third chain from the sprocket, still further odset so that it may pass the standard 92, and from the bottom chain a fourth Vstandard 94 still further offset is extended upwardly through the slot 21. All of these Vstandards project a slight distance above the floor 10 and have 'mounted thereon reniovablyY or" otherwise runner ligures95 which maybe distinctly colored, if desired. i i

Also, a friction device 95 maybe provided oneach bracket to engage the respective gear 89, so as to prevent rotation ofthe shaft-8 3 .except when Vdriven by operation of the adjacent shaft 86. Inthis manner, operation of any one of the shafts 86 will result in moving a particular runner, vwhile the remaining the first base may be closed and provided with an upturned edge portion97 yat each limit of the closed part, so that when'a runner device is moved into engagement with this closed part, owing to the resilience of the spring ,96

the runner willbe bent down and concealed beneath the floor 10. The runner figures V95 may each have a socket at the bottom'adapted to slip removably over the upper end of one Aof the standards 91 to 94, so thaty the runners may all be removed except one, when the standards are in initial position, successive runner bodies being set upon other standards successively, and when a runner is put out it may4 be first removed from the standard upon which it is mounted and the standard returned'to initial position by reverse or forward operation of the crank and shaft 86 by which `such ruimer had been previously moved to the place where put out. i e j The base signal devices consist of ,simple wire standards 100 having a short vertical portion at their lower ends adapted to set in aperturesformed in the floor 10 at first, second, and third bases, and if desired, there may also be a sounding signa-l 102, located conveniently to be struck by a ball rolled upon the floor across the home plate. vThe upper end of the standard 100 is bent laterally, and

.then recurved in semi-circular `form and has aV small bell suspended from lits extremity. The lower part ofthe standard 100 immediately above the part which is inserted inthe aperture' in the forward part may consist of a. horizontal coil 104 of oneor two turns formed integrally in the wire between its lower inserted part and the upstanding part immediately thereabove,so that' in case the ball strikes the upstanding part, it may be easily oscillated so as to cause the bell to ring.

It will be seenthat by the construction provided, the person operating one of the runners, may, when the pitching device is operated endeavor to simulate the. stealing of a base by moving his runner from one base toward another, and'in case field players of the opposing team are able to place a ball upon the base toward which such runner is being moved, the player operating the runner may then reverse operation of the device and return his runner toward the base from which it was lirst moved. After the ball has struck one of the base signals it is supposed to be in the hands of the ield man detailed at that base until it has been delivered by such player so as to roll upon the floor 10, and consequently after the base signal has been struck m in advance of a ruimer, the runner will be out if he continues to that base.

If, with a runner at lirst base, a ball is batted fain and a second runner started toward first base while the preceding one is 15 moved toward second, in case the advanced runner is put out at second it may be returned to initial position without being blocked by the runner at first base. rlfhis is due to the successive offset of the runners,

o and the fact that the slot Qlis of ample width to permit such passing.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a field floor having an orbital slot therein, a

25 plurality of series of' endless members movable in a similar orbit beneath. the slot, separate operating means for each endless member, a winner-carrying member extending from each endless member upwardly through 30 the slot, runner ligures thereon, said runner carrying members being successively spaced horizontally for independent movement past each other.

2. The structure of claim l, in which the 5 runner members are deiiectable below the level of the Hoor, and a closed part is provided in the slot at initial positions of the runners, to retain them below the floor level.

3. rllhe structure of claim l, in which the ruimer members are dellectable below the level of the floor and the slot is closed at the initial positions of the runners, the ends of the closed portion having inclined members to engage the runners to deflect them below the ioor level when they are moved to initial position.

4. The structure of claim l in which the runner members are yieldingly mounted and deliectable below the level of the floor, and a closed part over the slot at the initial position of said runner members, resilient means being included in the mounting means tending to erect the runner member on emerging from said initial position, but yieldable to pressure of the closed part to deflect the runner below the floor level.

In testimony whereof affix my signature.

PARKER T. SIMMONQ. 

